Ripple

Ripple, founded in 2012 as OpenCoin by Chris Larsen and Jed McCaleb, is a San Francisco-based technology company that builds enterprise blockchain products on the XRP Ledger. Its core mission is to enable an Internet of Value where moving money is as seamless as moving information. The company rebranded to Ripple Labs in 2015 and has since become a major player in cross-border payments, serving over 300 financial institutions across 40 countries.

Co-founder Jed McCaleb left in 2013 after disagreements over the company's direction and later founded Stellar, a rival blockchain network. Chris Larsen stepped down as CEO in December 2016, handing the reins to Brad Garlinghouse, who remains CEO. David Schwartz, the company's CTO and chief cryptographer, has been a core developer of the XRP Ledger since the early days. The company has raised $300 million across three funding rounds, with a Series C valuation of $10 billion in 2019 and a share buyback in 2022 valuing it at $15 billion.

Ripple's products focus on faster, cheaper, and more transparent cross-border payments compared to traditional systems like SWIFT. Its global payments network includes banks, neobanks, payment providers, and cryptocurrency businesses. The company has also deployed over $600 million in investments across 70+ direct and 10+ limited partner investments to support Web3 development. Beyond finance, Ripple's technology is used by organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand financial infrastructure in emerging markets. [edit]